We recently connected with Shruti Vij and have shared our conversation below.

Shruti , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I always had an inherent interest and talent for art. Initially it was not easy to make art my profession . When I approached galleries , the first question would be ” which art school are you from?” I did not have an answer as I am a trained designer and a self taught artist and had never taken a single art class. But I did not give up and worked very hard. I wanted my art to speak for itself. I let my imagination guide me and be reflected on the canvas. For me art has always been soul satisfying.

My life took a different turn as I completed my course in designing from the prestigious NIFT, New Delhi. I specialised in leather designing. I entered a career in export and buying houses. It did not excite me and after a few months, one day, I just picked up a brush and started painting.

I used to work for around 8-10 hours a day. It was then I realised my passion and the fact that I wanted to be a full time artist. YouTube became my teacher as I spent hours to perfect my strokes. My first break was in Art Mall, New Delhi where I participated in a group show for Women’s Day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey into entrepreneurship was led by art. I am an artist and I trained at NIFT Delhi. After my post graduation I did not take up a full-time job with an organisation, because I felt that would stifle my creativity. As a free-spirited artist I wanted to explore my own potential which is why I started selling my artworks.

In my case, since I started small, I did not have any problems pertaining to funds. All I needed was some space for my art studio and some art equipment. I started off with a small room in my house, and made it my studio where I would do my painting. The art materials came out of the savings I had made over a few years. My family has been very supportive of my work and have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.I set up Shruti Arts to spread the word about the kind of work I do and I am glad to say that I have been very lucky to have such a great response to my platform which curates my artworks and I use it to sell it all over the

I love doing mainly abstracts and mixed media artworks. My works create a visual rhapsody of colour and strokes that come to life on canvas. My palate includes a variety of reds ,blues and greens that enthrall the viewer and are a visual treat to the eyes. The uplifting patterns enhance the artwork creating a multidimensional effect.

It is not essential to take a formal training to become an artist. I am a self taught artist and for me it’s not a fine art degree that is needed to become an artist but a creative mind that constantly ideates and innovates. The painting skills can be acquired with a lot of hard work and practice.

During the past few years, I have participated in many art shows , mostly in and around Delhi and has won great appreciation from art lovers and critics alike. I have an art studio by the name of Shruti Arts.I have taken part in several national and international exhibitions , contributed my artworks for noble causes , judged art competitions , participated in various art workshops collaborated with interior designers and have done two solo art shows. And in coming times , will achieve more and inspire people though my artworks.

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What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Art gives a perspective to life. I believe, in life, hope and faith are the most important anchors that keep us motivated and keep us going. Art gives hope, at least I try to do that with my work. Art is uplifting, at times, it shows a mirror to society. The art on the walls of your home becomes a part of your existence, its an extension of yourself. It makes you happy and fulfilled. When you look at my work, you should feel joyous. The colour, brightness and patterns are the key elements of my work. I play around with these and try to create wholeness using colour and patterns as props.

I have enjoyed each and every show that I have been a part of. It has been a great learning experience for me. I have improved as an artist and my style has evolved over time and I attribute this partly to my shows. The biggest moments of success  have been getting appreciation from art aficionados and critics alike in India as well as abroad. A few of my works have also been exhibited in various International events like Delhi International Film Festival ,Indo-Korean Art Festival and World Art Dubai.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I trained in Leather designing from National Institute Of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi. I got married after a short stint in the garment industry. Thereafter, it was motherhood which was my first priority. Soon I realised that I needed to do something on my own for my creative persona.It became pretty clear that whatever I did my desire to draw, design and be creative in a professional sense wasn’t going to go away, no matter how hard I tried to fit my skills and personality into other areas.

I started visiting various art galleries in Delhi and participating in their painting workshops. This is where the seed of being an abstract artist was launched & permanently lodged into my soul. The class was Abstract Painting. I went into it blindly and knew absolutely nothing about this style, the artists who developed it, or the thought behind it.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to think of it myself until I started working on my first canvas.
It was like a bullet hit me. I FELT something connect.

The brushsdabs of paint made only with movements, gestures, and marks made complete sense to me. I It’s not always a smooth sail, take the ups and downs of your journey as they come. Do not be discouraged by what others say or don’t say, just follow your dream and make it work.
Keep the faith strong and keep surging ahead.  simply understood the way to move paint, arrange surfaces, and how to express from the inside out. Purely expressive painting was natural, authentic, and intuitive for me.

It’s not always a smooth sail, take the ups and downs of your journey as they come. Do not be discouraged by what others say or don’t say, just follow your dream and make it work.
Keep the faith strong and keep surging ahead.

But I’ve also found that it’s not just the creativity and continual development that I love like I originally thought.It’s the freedom that comes with working for yourself.

My career goal has always been to able to spend my time doing work I enjoy, namely creative work, but in becoming a freelancer I’ve come to realise that I actually enjoy the freedom of being me own boss and running my own business as much as I do the creative work. I recognized it as my own and knew this was my art language.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shrutiarts.yolasite.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/shruti__arts
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/shrutiarts
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/shruti-vij-49698556
• Twitter: www.twitter@sumplesh

Image Credits
Shruti Arts